How to Train a Rottweiler to Bark at Strangers
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Introduction
Your Rottweiler is a staple member of the family. In fact, you can’t imagine what the house would look and smell like without the dog hair and slobber anymore. Not that you’d change it for the world anyway, because your Rottie is the only member of the house who doesn’t argue back! However, while they can do no wrong in your eyes, you do want to put your Rottweiler to good use. In particular, you’d like to train them to keep watch of the house and bark at strangers.
If you need a guard dog and understandably want to keep your house, family, and possessions safe, then a Rottweiler can be an effective deterrent. Combine their menacing bark with their tough exterior and any intruder is bound to think twice. This training will also instill significant discipline, giving you a well-trained and obedient dog. Lastly, this training will also help you train them to bark and fall silent with just a command.
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Defining Tasks
Training a Rottweiler to bark is actually pretty straightforward. The trick is finding a situation that naturally causes them to bark. Once you’ve found that, you’ll need to introduce a command and reinforce the training with tasty treats or toys. Socialization will also form an important part of training as you don’t want your dog becoming aggressive. Training will also require testing the new command with some brave volunteers.
If your Rottweiler is just a puppy, they should soak up any and all information. This means you could see results in just a week or two. However, if he is older and more interested in lazing around the house than learning new commands then you may have your work cut out. It could be six weeks before you see consistent results. But if training works you’ll have a formidable-sounding Rottweiler who will keep strangers at bay.
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Getting Started
The best thing about this training is that you don’t need much to get started. Some friends your Rottweiler doesn’t know too well will be needed. You will also need a decent stockpile of mouth-watering treats or toys. You’ll also need a clicker for one of the methods below.
Set aside around 10 minutes each day for training in a yard or in a large room in the house. The more frequently you train, the sooner you will see results.
Once you’ve ticked all those boxes, just bring enthusiasm and patience, then work can begin!
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The Trigger Method
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Monitor
Spend a couple of days closely watching your Rottweiler. You’re looking for situations in which they bark of their own accord. When they are excited to go out for a walk or for food, for example.
‘Bark’
Once you’ve found such a situation, put you dog in it and give a ‘bark’ command just before or as they start to bark. Give it only once as you want them to know they have to respond the first time. Try to give the instruction in a playful tone.
Reward
As soon as your Rottweiler does then bark, hand over a delicious reward. You can also shower them in verbal praise. If you use a clicker when you train, click within a couple of seconds of them barking.
Test
Now secure your dog to a leash and have a friend or someone they don’t know too well approach. Once they get close, point at the stranger and give the ‘bark’ instruction. Don’t worry if it takes a little while for them to catch on to start with. Once they do bark, hand over another reward.
Mix it up
Now all that’s left to do is practice the new command. You’ll need to have different people approach each time, otherwise your Rottweiler will start barking at people they do know. Before you know it they will bark at strangers all of their own accord. At this point you can phase out the rewards.
The Attention Method
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Obedience classes
The first thing you need to make sure is that your Rottweiler isn’t going to bark and be aggressive towards everyone. So take them to group obedience classes so they learn to socialize with other people and pets.
Draw their attention
Have someone your dog doesn’t know slowly approach. Then stand next to your Rottweiler and point at the stranger. You can also whisper and do everything you can to draw their attention to them. This is the most time-consuming part so don’t be put off if it takes a little while to peak your pup's interest.
Reward
As soon as they do bark, be sure to quickly shower them in praise. You can also throw them a tasty treat and play around with a toy for a little while. The happier the dog feels afterwards, the more likely it is they will repeat the behavior.
Practice
Now you simply need to regularly repeat the above steps. Try and use different people each time and practice at least a few times each week. As they improve they’ll naturally take an interest in strangers and bark of their own accord.
Lose the treats
After a couple of weeks of consistent results, you can gradually phase out the rewards. By this point your Rottweiler will be in the habit of barking at strangers and will no longer need extra motivation to do so.
The Setup Method
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Frustration
To encourage your Rottweiler to bark so you can incorporate a verbal cue, you may need to get them worked up. So tether them to a chair and then call their name from another room. They’ll quickly get wound up and bark in frustration.
Praise
As soon as they do bark, rush back into the room and give a ‘good speak’ command. You can then give them some verbal praise and a treat or two. Really emphasize they have done something correctly, even if they’re not sure what yet.
Give the command first
Practice this for around 10 minutes a day to start with. Keeping sessions short will ensure your Rottweiler concentrates and doesn’t get bored. But as you practice start giving the command in normal situations without winding them up.
Bump into a friend
Once you’ve practiced enough that your dog barks as soon as they hear the instruction, then it’s time to test them with a stranger. Arrange a walk with someone the dog doesn’t know too well and bump into them half way around. Point towards the friend and give the bark instruction.
Reward
As soon as your dog barks, go down and give them some praise. If you use a clicker, now is the time to click too. Organize situations with friends like this regularly and before you know it your dog will automatically bark at anyone they don’t know. When they get to this stage, phase out the rewards and praise.
Written by James Barra
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 05/01/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Black beauty
Rattwiler
1 Month
Question
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
I need her to attract stranger And to be bad
June 27, 2021
Black beauty's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Naithan, Work on commands that build impulse control and respect for you at this age - that will lay a great foundation for more formal protection training later. Continue to pursue socialization with pup even though that can seem counter-intuitive, because a good protection and guard dog needs to know what's normal in the world, especially around people, so that they can tell when something is wrong correctly and not just react to everything and be unreliable. Good socialization also boosts confidence. Getting pup around a lot of people and places is great, but also work on pup's manners and obedience in those settings so pup is learning to focus on you around those exposures - like practicing heeling past people at a park, a Down-Stay at an outdoor shopping area, sitting for being petted, ect... To help pup learn better self-control and focus, practice the following commands over the next few months. Work up to pup gradually being able to do these things around distractions and for longer periods of time. For example, work up to an hour long Place command, heeling past people at the park, holding a Down-Stay while you walk away at the park while pup is on a long training leash and harness. Those types of commands can also help with respect and trust for you - which is important for guarding work later. Thresholds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-w28C2g68M Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It method - good for the mouthing too: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Place command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Down-Stay: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ Heel- Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Off- section on The Off command: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-train-dog-stay-off-couch/ Come - Reel in method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-whippet-to-recall Check out the article linked below for good respect building tips: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you Many dogs will naturally guard if it's in their genetics and you have laid a good foundation of respect and obedience, once they mature mentally between 1-2 years of age. If pup doesn't, you can also teach pup to bark automatically when someone enters the property and be more watchful in general using reward based training. For anything that would involve bite work, you would need to pursue training with a professional protection trainer who knows how to utilize pup's defense drive, build confidence, utilize rewards like a bite bag and tug, and have the right staff and equipment to practice things like arms holds - this training should only be done with a professionals help and should not encourage fear or true aggression when done correctly - it's more like teaching pup a task, teaching alertness, obedience, building confidence, and encouraging a natural defense drive - opposed to poorly done training that encourages suspicion and fear to get a bite from the dog. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
June 28, 2021
LUNAR
Rottweiler
8 Months
Question
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
he doesn't bark to strangers
April 5, 2021
LUNAR's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Adebimpe, To teach pup to bark and be more alert, first, teach pup the Speak command. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-to-speak Once pup knows the speak command, recruit friends pup doesn't know to step onto the property while pup watches from a window or fence. Command speak and reward with a treat when they do. Practice with telling pup to speak each time the person is on the property, until pup barks on their own when the person enters without saying speak. At that point, have the person step onto the property, wait seven seconds to see if pup will bark on their own, reward if they do, and command speak if they don't - then reward but give a smaller reward when you tell pup opposed to when pup does it on their own. Practice until pup will bark each time someone enters the property. Practice with different people you can recruit, that pup doesn't know so that pup will learn to do this with anyone who enters the property and not just that one person. Draw pup's attention to people outside or people on your property, and reward pup when you see them watching someone in general - so that pup will begin watching people and staying more alert as a habit. Pup doesn't have to bark to reward this one - just reward when pup is watching someone and you notice that. I also recommend teaching the Quiet command, so that you can tell pup when to stop barking after they alert. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
April 6, 2021
That's sooo help full thx
June 27, 2021
Naithan B.